The Armenian government approved a plan on 30 September to privatize the country\'s largest hospital, RFE/RL\'s Yerevan bureau reported. The plan calls for the privatization of the Armenia Republican Medical Center in a 135 million-dram ($267,000) sale without a competitive tender. The move is fairly controversial, as the privatization of Armenia\'s health-care facilities were suspended in August 2003 following the objections of parliamentary speaker Artur Baghdasarian. In a statement defending the plan, the government revealed that the new, as yet unnamed, owners have pledged to invest 100 million drams in the Yerevan-based complex. Health Ministry officials told RFE/RL\'s Yerevan bureau that their ministry was not involved in the privatization plan and admitted that they were unaware of the decision. Another ministry source said that the facility will most likely conform to the previous privatization of 37 other health institutions that transferred ownership to the personal control of the previous state-appointed administrator. The deal will leave only one remaining state-run health-care facility in the country. Armenia also lacks a mandatory national system of medical insurance. (RFE/RL)